Monkeys Monkeys Everywhere!

Some might say that Disneyland is the "happiest place on earth" and while I do find it a wonderfully fun place to visit I can tell you it's not the happiest place on earth. I discovered a few weeks ago that the happiest place on earth is actually the Apenheul. The primate zoo where monkeys roam free and there are teeny monkey babies everywhere.

There was a brand new baby gorilla born the night before we went so that was pretty exciting too!

The gorillas live on an island in the middle of the park and there is a "feeding show" every few hours where they'll come for treats like apples and cucumbers. We were really lucky because ALL of them showed up for our show and the hosts said that doesn't always happen. I learned a couple of interesting things during the show. Gorillas can't swim and they have round potbellies because their intestinal track is larger and set up slightly differently than in humans.

This little orangutan was so funny. He kept hiding under his blanket and then popping out and jumping and waving... then crawled back under to hide for another minute before popping out again. Orangutan peek-a-boo!

If you're ever in Apeldoorn, take the day and go to the Apenheul! They're open from March 30 to October 31st and entry is €18,50 for adults (which I think is plenty but we did have discount cards and now that I've been I would still recommend it even if you have to pay full price).

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Be sure to swing byUnknown Mami for more Sundays in My City.

Organ Donor Registration in The Netherlands

One of the things on my 101 list is to sign up to be an organ donor. I hadn't done it before here because I wasn't really sure about the process. It's SO simple I feel silly for not doing it sooner! Unfortunately, all of the forms are in Dutch but they're pretty self explanatory.

In The Netherlands there is a national donorregister (donor registry). Anyone registered living in a Dutch municipality over the age of twelve is eligible to register for organ donation.

There are a couple of ways to register to be a donor. The easiest way is to do it online with your DigiD (Digital Identification). If you're unfamiliar with what a DigiD is or need to get one, you can visit their website for more information. The second way is to print out the form (link is a PDF file) and mail it in.

After you fill in your personal details (name, address, birthdate, and sex) there will be 4 options to choose from.

The options on the form are as follows:

Keuze 1: Ja, ik geef toestemming (Option 1: Yes, I give permission)
Keuze 2: Nee, ik geef geen toestemming (Option 2: No I don't give permission)
Keuze 3: Mijn nabestaanden beslissen (Option 3: My next of kin will decide)
Keuze 4: Een specifike persoon beslist (Option 4: A specific person will decide)

If you choose Option 1, you then need to decide which organs and tissues you give permission for transplantation. I had to look some of these up since my Dutch body-part knowledge is still in it's infancy!

alvleesklier - pancreas
darmen - intestines
hoornvliezen - corneas
longen - lungs
bloedvaten -arteries
hart - heart
huid - skin
nieren - kidneys
botweefsel, kraakbeen en pezen - bone tissue, cartilage and tendons
hartkleppen - heart valves
lever - liver

Options 2 & 3 don't require anything else to be filled in.

For Option 4, you do need to fill in the personal details of the person you wish to give permission to make the decisions regarding your organ donation.

Lastly you need to sign and date the form (not neccesarry to do if you use your DigiD to fill in the form online). The address to mail it in is listed at the bottom and you don't even need to buy a stamp!

After you've completed the form (online or mailed in), you'll get a donor card in the mail. Make sure to look at it and check that your information is correct and that's it. It takes 5 minutes (or 7 if you have to look up what a botweefsel is).

I hope this has been a little bit helpful to some of you. I know I just put off doing it forever since I didn't know how to go about it.

Lichtjesroute

To celebrate and to remember the liberation of Eindhoven, each year the city hosts the Lichtjesroute (literally translated as "light route). What began as families putting candles and lightbulbs in the front windows of homes to welcome the troops has grown to a 22km route through the city that is lined with lights that form pictures. There are several streets that have different animals, a neighborhood of musical instruments and even the Smurfs village!

Hungry baby birds getting breakfast from the mama bird.

All aboard!

This one is quite blurry, but it shows how they hang the smaller ornaments along the roadside pretty well.

The Lichtjesroute starts on 18 September (the day Eindhoven was liberated in 1944) and usually runs for around three weeks afterwards. It's not the worlds most amazing light show, but I love the history behind it and it's a great tour of the city to do on your bike. You can also drive the route but it usually takes FOREVER because of traffic. It's completely run by volunteers and I find that quite impressive! I know I'm telling you a little late for this year, but it runs every year so now you have plenty of time to prepare!

Since I'm not the worlds best night photographer, I'll leave you with a link to the website that has much better pictures than the ones I snapped!

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This week L is for Lichtjesroute! Make sure to go check out the other participants by clicking on the picture below!